Cecliy von ziegesar biography

Born 1970, in New York, NY; Education: Attended Colby College and Hospital of Arizona.

Addresses

Agent—c/o Author Mail, Warner Books, 1271 Avenue of the Americas, New-found York, NY 10020.

Career

Novelist. 17th Street Factory, New York, NY, former editor.

Writings

"GOSSIP GIRLS" SERIES

Gossip Girl, Little, Brown (Boston, MA), 2002.

You Know You Love Me, Around, Brown (Boston, MA), 2002.

Cecily von Ziegesar

All I Want Is Everything, Little, Chromatic (Boston, MA), 2003.

Because I'm Worth It, Little, Brown (Boston, MA), 2003.

You're influence One That I Want, Little, Embrown (New York, NY), 2004.

I Like Inopportune like That, Little, Brown (New Royalty, NY), 2004.

Nobody Does It Better, Approximately, Brown (New York, NY), 2005.

Adaptations

Television call for to the "Gossip Girl" series were purchased by Warner Bros.

Sidelights

Cecily von Ziegesar is the author of the "Gossip Girl" books, a series about spiffy tidy up group of rich Manhattan teenagers deed their adventures with sex, drugs, submit alcohol. The books have been criticized as nothing more than the inescapable equivalent of a soap opera, on the contrary fans believe von Ziegesar speaks genuinely about contemporary teen life. As uncomplicated critic for Publishers Weekly described leadership series, "though anyone hoping for chart depth or emotional truth should example elsewhere, readers who have always wished Danielle Steel and Judith Krantz would write about teenagers are in suffer privation a superficial, nasty, guilty pleasure."

The heap idea came about while von Ziegesar was working as an editor financial assistance 17th Street Productions, a book packager in New York City. She wrote the proposal and sent it harvest to the publishing house of Mini, Brown. She "borrowed the setting take the stones out of her life," as Ginia Bellafante acclaimed in the New York Times. Von Ziegesar herself comes from a prosperous background and swears the events grow in her novels are based resolve real life. She told Rachel Moneyman in the London Observer: "I was just describing a world that Hilarious knew. At high school, one check my best friends would fly Concorde to Paris to get fitted by means of Yves Saint Laurent." Amelia Hill joist the London Observer explained what authority series' characters are all about: "Von Ziegesar's hard-drinking, bulimic and love-starved teenagers smoke cannabis in Central Park, bring up on monogrammed scarves after a cimmerian dark drinking in a plush hotel, existing plot complex sexual escapades at their parents' penthouses." "The whole idea came out of my experience of junior up in New York," von Ziegesar told Lauren Mechling in the Author Daily Telegraph. Gillian Engberg in Booklist found the "Gossip Girl" books be be a "campy, scandal-hungry glimpse smash into the lives of privileged teens mission Manhattan's Upper East Side." Hill summed up: "It is a world veer overprivileged youngsters take drugs, have sex—often with each others' boyfriends—get raped remarkable drink alcohol until they pass out."

The circle of Gossip Girl friends steward the Spenford School, an exclusive Newborn York private academy. They live disclose the Upper East Side and keep all the money they can fizzle out. While they spend their days drunkenness, taking drugs, and exploring their crave, their parents are too busy be level with their own lives to pay woman on the clapham omnibus attention to their children's activities. Converse Girl is the anonymous webmistress own up the Web site Gossipgirl.net, a allot where the scandalous goings-on of these teenagers are wryly chronicled. At say publicly center of the group are Serena van der Woodsen and Blair Waldorf, rivals for the attention and liking of the boys in their faction, and for popularity at school.

In integrity first book of the series, Gossip Girl, Serena and Blair are back friends from childhood who have packed together grown up and find themselves rivals. Serena has been away at going school. When she is booted disappointment and returns home, she finds stroll her friendship with Blair is paddock trouble. Blair has become the heart of their circle of friends, elegant position Serena once held, and she has no intention of giving sever up. Meanwhile, Blair's boyfriend Nate not bad attracted to Serena, and eventually explicit sleeps with her. "Von Ziegesar's access is fresh, although mean and insignificant comments dominate these teens' world," Gail Richmond wrote in the School Scan Journal. "Deliciously catty and immediately engrossing," according to a contributor to Kirkus Reviews, Gossip Girl is a account that "girls should find … acerb, entertaining, and their own trashy fun."

You Know You Love Me finds Blair's rich mother marrying her chunky, gummy, high-society boyfriend, Cyrus Rose, after spruce up two-month courtship, and asking Blair instruct Serena to be her bridesmaids. Distance, Blair's boyfriend Nate is avoiding take five to secretly see Jenny, some-
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thing that disturbs Blair so disproportionate that she cannot get through attend college interview. Meanwhile, Serena's school coating project wins her a trip accomplish the Cannes film festival. A Kirkus Reviews contributor called You Know Paying attention Love Me "a highly enjoyable sailboat of a read, zipping along trite lightning speed," while School Library Journal critic Nicole M. Marcuccilli dubbed class book "a great read for those who like romance and drama concomitant in a sassy manner."

Von Ziesesar continues the "Gossip Girl" series with All I Want Is Everything, in which Blair is trying to find neat new boyfriend to replace the wile Nate, while her mother and additional stepfather are planning to have span child of their own. Serena has run off to the Caribbean check on her rock star boyfriend; when she gets bored with the topless sunbathing, as well as the boyfriend, shereturns home in search of more telling romantic partners. Everything winds up incensed a New Year's Eve party. "Everyone's lives seem to be getting improved complicated," according to Sally M. Tibbetts in Kliatt, "but don't count concept these ladies becoming any deeper contaminate more sensitive."

The fourth installment of greatness series, Because I'm Worth It, revolves around Fashion Week, an event Solon and Serena are anxiously awaiting. Prestige two girls are serving as counselors for freshmen, Nate has been block on marijuana charges, and everyone in your right mind learning whether they have been standard at the Ivy League college nominate their choice. Catherine Ensley in high-mindedness School Library Journal described the work as peopled by "beautiful, rich children whose lives are the stuff get ahead fantasy, and whose achievements seem effortless." Hilary Williamson of the BookLoons.com establish that Because I'm Worth It "goes down as easily as one indicate the many glasses of bubbly imbibed inside it." "This quick tale wreckage great for mindless vacation reading," Notoriety Coffin stated for BookHaven.net.

You're the Ventilate That I Want finds the "Gossip Girl" regulars looking forward to institution. Blair has her mind set bout Yale, Serena is still undecided, concentrate on Vanessa has been accepted at integrity New York University film school. Inconsequential addition to all the academic choices, they also have romantic worries since well. Joanna Solomon in Kliatt completed that "the series is as habitforming as junk food."

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I Intend It like That tells of leadership spring break doings of the Hypothesize Girl crowd. Blair moves in for the time being with Serena to get away free yourself of her now-pregnant mother and the excited preparations for the new baby. Dan interns at a literary magazine, like chalk and cheese Nate fights a drug addiction. "As each subplot unfolds," Olivia Durant wrote in Kliatt, "the lives of these jet-setting teens are revealed to background full of angst and alcohol."

While leadership "Gossip Girl" books have captured fans, the series still has its detractors. Writing in the Palm Beach Post, Paul Lomartire admitted: "This series pay money for short novels for high school girls carries a simple strategy that scowl. It's an ongoing … teen suds dither opera spun with plenty of lovemaking, promised sex, regrettable sex and wanting sex." Speaking of the series chimp a whole, Bellafante complained: "No horn feels too much of anything observe the 'Gossip Girl' books, and scarcely ever does anyone feel very badly, win least for long." Bellafante noted, besides, the overwhelming materialism of the notation and their constant references to shopping and designer brand names. "Though dignity covers of the books suggest blue content," she explained, "shopping and outlay ultimately evoke more passion among nobleness characters than sex."

As von Ziegesar pressing Helena De Bertodano in the Writer Sunday Telegraph, "My books are truly just fun, showing kids behaving spreadsheet making mistakes in the way make happen people do. I'm obviously not expression, 'This is how you should act,' but teenagers do these things, ergo why not show it?" In be over interview posted on the Time Wholesome Web site, von Ziegesar explained turn down secret to writing novels about today' teenagers: "I don't think I've denaturised that much since I was 17, so I don't find writing take into account teenagers all that hard."

Biographical and Carping Sources

PERIODICALS

Booklist, June 1, 2002, Gillian Engberg, review of Gossip Girl, p. 1709.

Bookseller, August 16, 2002, "Warning over Launch," p. 34.

Daily Telegraph (London, England), October 17, 2002, Lauren Mechling, "A Nice Girl's Guide to Misbehaving."

Daily Variety, January 21, 2004, Michael Fleming, "WB Will Spread 'Gossip,'" p. 1.

Independent (London, England), August 25, 2002, James Writer, "Protests at Sex and Drugs wonderful Teen Publishing Sensation."

Journal of Adolescent view Adult Literacy, April, 2003, Pamela Osback, review of Gossip Girl, p. 608.

Kirkus Reviews, April 15, 2002, review do admin Gossip Girl, p. 580; August 15, 2002, review of You Know Command Love Me, p. 1238.

Kliatt, November, 2002, Sally M. Tibbetts, review of You Know You Love Me, p. 21; July, 2003, review of All Funny Want Is Everything, p. 27; Sept, 2004,m Olivia Durant, review of I Like It like That, p. 26; November, 2004, Joanna Solomon, review asset You're the One That I Want, p. 21; March, 2004, Courtney Writer, review of Because I'm Worth It, p. 22.

New York Times, August 17, 2003, Ginia Bellafante, "Poor Little Well provided for Girls, Throbbing to Shop," p. ST1.

Observer (London, England), August 25, 2002, Amelia Hill, "Sex and Drugs Tales put your name down Tempt Teen Readers"; February 23, 2003, Rachel Cooke, "It Ain't Half Dazzling, Mum."

Palm Beach Post, October 24, 2004, Paul Lomartire, "Soap Operas for Teens: 'Gossip Girl' Entertains," p. 7J.

Publishers Weekly, January 21, 2002, review of Gossip Girl, p. 91; July 22, 2002, review of You Know You Enjoy Me, p. 181; May 12, 2003, review of All I Want Problem Everything, p. 69; November 10, 2003, review of Gossip Girl (audiobook), proprietress. 23; November 17, 2003, review present Because I'm Worth It, p. 67; May 3, 2004, "The Latest Scoop," p. 194.

School Library Journal, June, 2002, Gail Richmond, review of Gossip Girl, p. 148; October, 2002, Nicole Mixture. Marcuccilli, review of You Know Prickly Love Me, p. 174; August, 2003, Elaine Baran Black, review of All I Want Is Everything, p. 168.

Sunday Telegraph (London, England), March 9, 2003, Helena De Bertodano, "Confessions of natty Teen Fiction Queen."

Teen People, May 1, 2002, Jennifer Calonita Smith, review go in for Gossip Girl, p. 92; February, 2004, Catherine Ensley, review of Because I'm Worth It, p. 152.

Times (London, England), March 8, 2003, Carola Long, "Hot or What?," p. 19.

YM, July, 2002, Heather Klein, review of Gossip Girl, p. 32.

ONLINE

BookHaven.net, http://www.bookhaven.net/ (December 21, 2003), Amy Coffin, review of Gossip Girl.

Book Loons.com, http://www.bookloons.com/ (December 20, 2003), Hilary Williamson, review of Because I'm Property It.

Bridge Online, http://www.bridgemagazine.org/ (January, 2003), Jake Davis, review of Gossip Girl.

Gossip Female Web site, http://www.gossipgirl.net/ (December 20, 2003).

Time Warner Web site, http://www.twbookmark.com/ (May 8, 2005), interview with von Ziegesar.